Dreams
by KlikStar
Summary: An incident involving Zack paint's a foreboding picture of the future for Cloud and Reno. Set in the world of CC, but hints at FFVII game. Rated M as BoyxBoy relationship hinted, but no Yaoi involved.


**This is a one off piece separate from my other stories, a rambling of thoughts I just had to get down at the time, and have recently tidied up to post.**

**I was playing around with this idea for a while, after watching the heartbreaking ending of Crisis Core, and thinking about how Cloud is affected by it in the game. The story just seemed to flow so tragically well together with these three men, how the incident painted a picture of the foreboding future they each held. **

**Rated M – no real reason, but just in case.**

**Note: I don't own the characters, thank Square Enix for their creation.**

* * *

**Dreams**

As Zack looked up at the stars he couldn't help but think they were quiet pretty really. He had to admit that they weren't normally visible in Midgar but out here, in the middle of nowhere, they were shining brightly in the dark sky. He sighed softly to himself and thought about how much Cloud would have enjoyed them as well.

Thoughts of his young lover brought a warm feeling to his heart and also sadness. If Cloud was here now then the stars would be the last thing on the cadet's mind. In fact if Zack knew the boy well enough, which he did, then Cloud would currently be almost hysterical with worry.

Zack lifted has hand and ran it carefully over his wound. The whole to his chest was still pretty big, but at least it had stopped bleeding now. As long as he remained still his body should be able to heal it, of course it would help if he had some potion or healing materia. Shaking his head slightly at his own stupidity for letting this happen Zack lowered his hand and slowly shifted his body a little to get more comfortable on the hard floor. Unfortunately even that small movement caused him a great deal of pain and he gritted his teeth against the scream which wanted to escape. Instead he allowed himself to breath out deeply making a slow hissing sound. There really was no need to alert any local wildlife about his current location, although they would probably be able to smell the blood if they wanted to.

"Oh Spiky, I'm sorry man" Zack whispered to the sky.

It wasn't like Zack was giving up, but he was a soldier and even he had to admit this was a pretty bad situation to be in. The mission had been going great until it turned out the bad guys kept a pet, a pet with big sharp claws and a mouth full of shiny teeth. Zack, being the guy he was, had ordered the retreat while taking on the beast by himself allowing time for his men to escape. He had been doing a good job at it until one of the bad guys had caught him by surprise and managed to get two rounds from a small rifle into him. The beast had taken the advantage, with great enthusiasm in Zack's opinion, and charged him in his temporarily weakened state. It was a shame the beast was also stupid and hadn't seen the cliff edge, that Zack had been leading it towards, and had taken them both over it in the attack.

Zack was just grateful he had managed to twist them as they had fallen so that it was the beast which hit the floor first and Zack landing on the things chest so it absorbed some of the impact from his decent. Needles to say the beast was dead, but Zack had also received some pretty serious injuries in the process. He had been able to drag himself a short distance away from the creature before collapsing and now he waited either for a search team to find him or something else.

A small feeling of panic stirred within him as he began to wonder if the others had gotten away, if they had survived the retreat, if they would even return. This was not him, this was not the way Zack the soldier lived. He was not a man of doubt or fear or worry. Ok so maybe he worried, but not now, he couldn't worry now because that would be like giving up and he never gave up.

"No, stop it" he scolded himself. Never leave a man behind that was the code. Well in his mind it was. But he had to admit that if he had seen someone go over the cliff edge like that he wouldn't be in a hurry to find the body either.

His thoughts drifted back to his lovers, but mainly to Cloud, to how the cadet would react if he didn't come back and the thoughts tore him up inside. Reno would be there for Cloud, would comfort him when the loss became too much, but somehow Zack knew that wouldn't be enough. Reno would be hurt, but the guy would move on it was part of his nature to survive, but Cloud didn't have that and it would tear him up inside. Zack knew he couldn't do that to the blonde, couldn't hurt him like that, it would be unforgiveable.

The soldier tried to hold on, he really did, but he was just so tired now. He knew it was because of the blood loss and his body trying to heal itself, but that didn't make it any easier. His final thoughts were of a blonde haired cadet with tears on his face crying out his name as the darkness took him away.

Far away in Midgar, in the apartment of a 1st class soldier, a cadet woke screaming his lover's name. His body was soaked in sweat and shaking violently beneath the sheets on the bed.

"What the hell?" Reno's voice was filled with fear as he grabbed hold of the trembling, sobbing form beside him.

"Zack" Cloud gasped between sobs as tears streaked down his face

"Zack's on a mission man" Reno reminded the blonde

"He's hurt"

Reno looked at the blonde questioningly. It was not unusually for Cloud to display odd feelings in relation to his lovers. It was something Zack and Reno had discussed once when the cadet had been training. They found it almost amusing that Cloud was sometimes able to feel them when they weren't there or knew when they were feeling down, but it had never been anything like this.

"It's just a bad dream" Reno told the blonde, although his voice didn't sound as confident as it should have.

"No, No its not, please Reno, call him" Cloud begged gripping the Turk tightly

Reno sighed desperately. If Zack was on a mission then technically he would be out of contact, but if he was in trouble then maybe.

"Zack won't be able to answer his phone, I'll try someone else"

Cloud nodded a little too quickly and his eyes were a little too wide, but at least he had stopped crying and the trembling was easing.

Reno slipped out of the bed and picked up his phone. He quickly found the number he was looking for and waited for the person to answer.

"Hey, it's me. Look I know it's none of my business, but how'd it go tonight?"

He remained silent for a minute and was glad he had walked out of the bedroom to make the phone call. His legs became like jelly and he slumped onto the sofa the tightness in his chest making it hard to breath. He hoped Cloud wouldn't see him like this.

"When? How?" he chocked

Another few minutes of listening to the other person as they explained the situation and Reno could feel his heart aching. He looked up and couldn't keep the pain from his eyes as they connected with Cloud's. The boy staggered back against the wall and slowly slid to the floor.

"Tell them to look by the river" Cloud whispered to him.

"What?"

"The river, tell them to look by the river where he fell. Tell them to hurry"

Reno didn't question it, just trusted in Cloud to be right and quickly relayed the information to his contact. He didn't explain how he knew they should search there and his contact had enough sense not to ask. He simply agreed and said he would call soon.

Reno hung up and looked over at the cadet, who sat leaning against the wall, wrapped tightly in the bed sheet. He looked so pale and fragile right now, his eyes closed tightly and a frown creasing his brow. Cloud's lips moved in a silent prayer and if it hadn't been for his enhanced hearing Reno was sure he wouldn't have heard the words.

"Hold on Zack, there coming, there coming"

Zack woke to a bright light and the strong smell of antiseptic. He blinked his eyes open slowly and took in the world around him. He was no longer lying on the hard ground looking up at the open sky, but in fact, laying on a hard hospital bed looking up at the white ceiling. He shifted slightly on the bed trying to adjust his body into a more comfortable position when a murmuring sound made him stop.

He tilted his head and smiled when he saw the familiar sight of his blonde lover. Cloud's head shifted slightly and Zack could see where the cadet had fallen asleep sitting in the chair beside the bed. His body was leaning forward on the mattress with his arms crossed, acting as a sort of pillow, supporting his head. Zack knew the blonde was going to be stiff and sore when he work up and wondered how long he had been there.

"Hey" Reno's voice was a soft whisper as he stood in the now open doorway

"Hey" Zack replied his voice raspy due to a dry throat

"You ok?"

"Yea"

"You had us pretty worried, him especially" Reno said indicating the blonde with a nod of his head

"Sorry"

"It's ok, I get it, comes with the job, yo"

Zack smiled, he knew Reno cared, he could see it in his eyes, but they didn't speak the words not like Cloud could.

"He felt it you know"

Zack looked at Reno with wide questioning eyes

"Yea, freaked me a little too" Reno sighed and came to stand beside the bed

"Kid woke up screaming your name and said you were in trouble, scared the hell out of me"

"He ... dreamt it?" Zack stammered

"Yea, got me to phone a ... contact to check on you. Damned scary thing though they couldn't find you, I mean the guy said they had been looking, but you were nowhere. Then Cloud tells me, to tell them where to look, and there you were."

Zack looked down at the slumbering blonde and felt his heart ache. How had Cloud known, had their bond really grown that strong, could he really affect the young cadet that much. While part of him soared at knowing they were that close another smaller part of him was afraid. What if something ever happened to him, something that he couldn't be saved from? Would Cloud ever recover from that or would he be lost forever.

"Zack?" a sleepy voice mumbled from beside him

"Hey Spiky" He said gently moving a hand over the blondes head running his fingers through the soft hair.

Cloud smiled up at him and it made Zack's heart beat that little bit faster. Cloud's eyes were so bright and so full of love for him.

"Sorry I worried you there" Zack said opening his arms, inviting the cadet to join him.

"It's ok, I knew you'd never leave me" Cloud replied, sitting on the bed, leaning into the embrace and holding Zack tightly.

Zack was glad Cloud's head was held against his chest, he wasn't sure he could trust the look in his eyes to be a comforting one. He looked up at the Turk beside them and an understanding seemed to pass between them. Yes they loved each other, yes they would die protecting each other, but life would go on if something bad happened. They couldn't rely on the other always being there, their job's were too dangerous for that, it would be foolish to think they would live happily ever after in this world. But Cloud did. Cloud held on to the dream that life was in your control, that you could have a happy ever after.

"Not unless I can help it Spiky, not unless I can help it" He told the blonde

Perhaps the words were more for him, a reassurance that things would always be ok, that maybe they would have a happy ever after. But the look in Reno's eyes told him the truth, that no matter how hard they would try, happy ever after was just a dream.


End file.
